What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

whatcar.com August 2020 75

cost.Forinstance,you’llneedto

turnyourgazetotheleftandlook

atthetopright-handcornerof

thescreenjusttoseewhatspeed

you’redoing.Andadjustingthe

positionofthesteeringwheelor

doormirrorsrequiresyetmore

prodsofthescreen,followedby

somefiddlingaroundwithscroll

wheelsonthesteeringwheel.

Youfacenosuchcomplication

intheModelS,whichhasgood

old-fashionedbuttonsandlevers

forthoseadjustments.Bothcars

provideafundamentallygreat

drivingposition,butyou’llnotice

thatyousitslightlyhigherthan

youdoinmanypetrolanddiesel

saloons.Thisisn’tnecessarilya

badthinginitself,buttheseats

inbothcarscoulddowithabitof

extrabackandsidesupport.

BothTeslasprovidearear-view

cameraandparkingsensorsto

helpwithtightmanoeuvres.

That’sparticularlyfortunatein

theModelS,becauseitsover-

the-shouldervisibilityisn’tideal.

NotthattheModel 3 isflawless

invisibilityterms;itswindscreen

pillarsareangledinsuchaway

thattheycanbadlyhamperyour

viewoutatjunctions.

TheModel 3 provesthatTesla

hasimprovedonbuildquality

overtheyears.Itsstrikingly

minimalistinteriorlooksare

backedupbyrelativelyupmarket

materialsand,whilefitandfinish

can’tmatchthelikesofBMW,

nothingfeelsoverlyflimsy.By

comparison,theolderModelS

feelsabitlessrobustandismore

pronetointeriorsqueaksand

rattleswhennew;theseprobably

won’tvanishwithage.

SPACEANDPRACTICALITY

Frontspace,rearspace,

seatingexibility,boot

Freedfromtheneedto

accommodateaninternal

combustionengine,bothcarsare

roomyfortheirsizecompared

withtheirregularpetrolanddiesel

equivalents.TheModelShasthe

biggeroverallfootprint,witha

greaterdistancebetweenthefront

andrearaxlesandawiderstance

on the road – but the difference

this makes to the space inside isn’t

as great as you might assume.

Room in the front is actually

very similar between the two,

and while the Model S has a clear

advantage when it comes to

accommodating people in the

rear, six-footers will still be

comfortable enough in the

back of the Model 3. Even three

adults sitting side by side won’t

grumble too loudly, although

they’ll have less need to rub

shoulders in the wider Model S.

One quirk in the rear is that

2

3

1

Tesla Model 3 vs Tesla Model S

INFOTAINMENT

If your Model S was

built after March

2018, it’ll bene t from

a different microchip

with faster processing

and image rendering

than earlier versions.

Neither model

offers smartphone

mirroring, but pretty

much every other

feature you’d want

is included. It’s also

great that both

models can receive

over-the-air updates

to improve not only

the infotainment

but also the battery,

motor and safety

assistance systems.

Bulkyitemsareeasier to

loadthroughModelS’s

broader,talleropening.

There’smorespaceinside,

too,althoughthereare

nodoorpockets.Both

cars’bootshavelarge

underoorstorageareas

thatcantakeanextra

coupleof carry-oncases

TESLA MODEL S

Suitcases 11

920mm

765mm

1395mm

930mm

1070mm

1475mm

1125-1985mm

975-1655mm

455-705mm

1 All Tesla touchscreens

have hidden ‘Easter eggs’,

such as arcade games

and fun sound effects

2 Digital instrument panel

is clear and helpful; its

absence is felt behind

the wheel of the Model 3

3 Driving position is spot

on, but neither driver’s

seat is that supportive,

despite having adjustable

lumbar support

BEST

BOOT

SPACE

BEST

REAR

SPACE